How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Hi,

I was wondering how is everyone targeting businesses with regards to mobile marketing?

I have primarily being using email and now looking at direct mail?

Alternatively how are others fairing with there approaches to business owners and managers?

regards

Virky

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Bookmark their current site on your phone, create a mobile "homepage" with their logo, colors, etc.. then walk into their business and show them IN PERSON the difference between the 2. Ask them which one they think their potential customers would prefer to view.

This is not just a "theory"... I did it first hand..... but with a twist. I went into a pizza place and when they asked me what I wanted, I showed them their menu on my phone and picked the item. The checker called the owner over and I showed him his site I had prepared ahead of time. He was impressed. I offered to give him the site in exchange for placing a stand on his counter with the qr code for folks to visit their mobile site...... and with my business link visible (and business cards next to the stand) so folks who were interested knew who designed it.

Some will say don't "give" away websites because it "cheapens" what's being offered. Well, this was my first encounter with a business owner and it helped me feel more confident approaching them, knowing that I was going to offer them an additional tool for them to get business at no risk. Plus, I was going to get exposure for my business. This has led to some leads, but what I found is that it helped me get experience with the face to face approach that I was initially nervous about. It does get easier with time, especially when you know you can provide something of value.

Hope this helps you.

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

I use various websites so customers contact me.

Things like business directories, QR Code creation etc.

Q

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

I think I am going to start to include a Disclaimer on my "Don't give it Away" Posts indicating exchange for referrals is an exception! lol

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Face to face is very easy if you have example from his business.
When he sees his logo....:):eek:.
I need 5 minutes and then I take his Telephone number for sending sms with site url. If nothing happen immediately I will sed him in two days a sms with same url an ask him how is the decision. 80% says YES

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Simple Psychology....seeing his logo on the mobile site automatically puts his psyche in "Ownership Mode". In other words he already subconsciously sees the mobile site as his/hers. It makes the sale much easier...

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

yes easy and simple
If you make sales without example , it takes more time and energy than build a example site

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Cold calling was very hard for me. Got a lot of frustration

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

yes for me to

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

I agree with this. i work in this field before and its not easy to close a deal.

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

I've had own music store about 10 years.
I get calls every day from marketing companys, for SEO, for online shop optimization, for every BS. For first 10 calls I have listened and after this ...no thanks...good bye.
But if someone came to my store with a good product, I've always found time to talk with him and have bought very often.
At the very beginning I've bought almost everything that had to do with the advertising.

If the company is completely new, is very easy to sell...they buy everything
I was the same

sorry for my english

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Although walk-ins can be great, they can also be very time consuming, why now show the demo site on a postcard or a printed flyer and then sent it to them?

If they don't respond email or call them to remind them again. It inst cold calling/emailing (calling works the best) because you have a icebreaker in the form of your mail-piece (what ever that is), You will be able to hit more businesses and we all know prospecting is a numbers game.

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Buy their product.

After you buy it, you become a *customer* of theirs, and the gates
drop where you can have discussions easier that *lead* you into ways
of helping them.

Are you willing to invest in a $7 pizza for this opportunity?

Obviously you can't do this with a car dealer, but generally speaking for most local businesses, it's easier for them to discuss doing business with you, if you take the FIRST step by doing business with them.

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

That's a really good tip you bring up here, become a customer, the soft approach. I had a client who purchased a car cleaning service at one point in time and he ran a printing company. He was the owner of the company and the way he came across will real non sales like, he said "hey thanks for an awesome job at cleaning my car, my name is john, i was wondering who handles your printing for your receipts? Well if you ever need my services, here is my card. We offer a lot more services as well if you'd be interested we could set up a meeting with my associates.

I convinced my partner to set up a meeting and they became the new printing company that we started to work with.

Get your feet in the door first and then respond with if you need help here's my information.

thanks,
richard

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Holy Crapoly! You kidding me?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++
Buy their product.

After you buy it, you become a *customer* of theirs, and the gates
drop where you can have discussions easier that *lead* you into ways of helping them.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Reminds me of the "Cavanaugh" guy...who made a bundle and still is...on the basis of..."Go into a business! Ask the owner HOW he started his biz. What's he doing to get biz...etc! (Same as the guys who tell you; "Go into a restaurant...order a meal....then....when you're finished...ask the waitress to speak to the owner. AND...because YOU are a "Customer"... the Owner "will sit down and LISTEN to your sales spiel!")

GIMME A BREAK!

I do NOT have the...TIME...MONEY or....BELLY....to use this "Marketing Technique" and...I'm sorry, just MY "Humble Opinion" but...anyone who tells me to "Target Businesses" this way, get placed on my "Do NOT contact" list;

They are "Bamboozlers" and have probably NEVER made a Personal Call on a prospect in their lives. They "heard" this "technique" from someone and "THINK" it's a way to get business, HOWVER...it just shows ME (and others who ACTUALLY contact biz owners)....that they are "Frauds"!

Ya wanna "sell" businesses on having YOU do a "Mobile Site" for them? Send the an email with these words in the SUBJECT line; "Hey! You are LOSING lots of business!"

Then...in the body;
"We're in the 21st Century! Most of your potential, customers (clients, patients) have a "Mobile Device" and...when they look for YOUR website....they find a "Mish-Mash" thing that "turns them off"!

I have created a "MOBILE-READY" website for you. If you'd like to see it, at NO obligation....click the box below...and STOP MISSING BUSINESS!"

Don Alm
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +

Now....when they respond to your email....go over to DudaMobile.com... spend a few minutes making a Mobile Site based on their existing site. Send it to them and tell them to PHONE YOU at their earliest convenience.

Whereupon.....you will discuss Payment and Terms to have YOU do the site for them.

Again....Holy Camoly! Use some "brain-power"!

Don Alm....Brain-eeack from Waay Baack

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Happy to be proved wrong Don, but I would say based on personal experience that face to face and telemarketing would have a higher success rate than an email campaign.

Regardless, love the passion in all of your posts :)

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

If you are going to sell a customer on Social Media Marketing, you have to learn to be social. The customers they are targeting are not going to buy into that kind of "shove it in their face" attitude. It's about building relationships and if you take the time to start with the places you are already a consumer, building a relationship there, you will get a lot of word of mouth referrals. If your business is local you will do yourself a disservice to take this persons advice.
Suzanne

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

How is everyone getting on with contacting businesses regarding mobile?

Are you using letters, email, or phone?

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

I would generally agree that Don's method might be too agressive for most service markets.

However, there are definitely some industries where this approach would be spot on and quite possibly very well received:

Towing, Wreckers, Salvage yards, Taxis, Carpet Cleaners are a few that comes to mind.

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

How about the method thats worked for the last 80 years...it's not complicated. Give them a call and arrange a time to speak to them properly about something that can help them to grow their business. :eek:

Business people aren't scary aliens... :p

If thats too nerve wracking for you...try linkedin Ads...love them personally.

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Direct mail is expensive. If I was doing this again, I'd be running a hotel based seminar at an anticipated 1.5% response rate....spending about $1000-$1500 looking for 30 attendees and running it with another person as its a lot of work for one person.

The lead cost is high, but you should get a lot of sales from this at once which saves you a lot of initial meetings.

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

If you don't like walking through the door of their business and interrupting their day to pitch your product, then go to networking events. Every Chamber of Commerece has networking events. Business owners are out there looking to met other people.

Most of them will ask for youe card. Now knock there socks off by telling them to text "yourname" to "urshortcode". Explain mobile marketing and mention "going green" and that you can help them set up their owen mobile Biz Card. Ect...

You can start talking to business owner in a lower key atmosphere and build your confidience for the cold calls!!

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

I have to agree with this! If you buy from every business you're trying to do business with you'll go broke or at least waste hours! Just remember that a mobile presence for 90%+ of the businesses we target out there will be worth at least ten times what we sell them for!!!!


Now, you might tone it to your style, but the great point is you'll only have to do demos for people that contact you back, not for everyone you prospect. Oh I say "I have created a "MOBILE-READY" DEMO website for you". I'm using their color, logo, phone number and address if they contact me back. But they get a mock site - I'm not putting in all the content until I'm paid.

And if you offer SMS, use Text CODEXYZ to NUMBER123 for them to get the demo link... it will show them the power of SMS as well, and possibly add another sell right there on the spot. And with your SMS system, you should get their cellphone if they do text the code and number, so you can call them back and tell them HOW you got their cellphone. Very impressive demonstration. Not just talk, but a real live demonstration that builds instant credibility even though you were totally unknown to them but a few minutes ago.

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

Jay Rhome hit the nail on the head. I've actually had some recent success landing clients for mobile sms services by sending a direct mail piece with a demo inviting the business owner to text "keyword" to "short code" so they can see for themselves exactly how this service works and could benefit their business. Then the ones that are interested wind up calling YOU to learn more.

But ideally, you should be proactive to call everyone that opts in to the sms list since they were at least interested enough to try out the demo. The nice thing here though is that you don't have to if you don't want to, because the demo will still get businesses calling you, if you are contacting enough of course.

Re: How To Target Businesses For Mobile
 

You could also use postcards. On this site you can design and mail a card for less than $1. Make up a mockup of a mobile version of their site and put it on the front of the postcard. Write "I went to your site on my phone and it is kind of broken. This is costing you customers. I am a local business person who helps business optimize better for the web. I can be reached at (email or phone).